Money-laundering case: Special court extends ED's custody of Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik to March 7

MUMBAI: The special PMLA court on Thursday extended the Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody of Maharashtra minister

Nawab Malik

to March 7 in a money laundering case linked to international terrorist Dawood Ibrahim.

Judge RK Rokade said, “Since he was in hospital from February 25-28, hence, his statement could not be recorded. Considering this and the bee facts submitted, he is being sent to ED custody till March 7.”

Earlier the ED had sought further custody of six days of Nawab Malik. The agency told the court that since Malik was admitted to JJ hospital from February 25-28, his statement couldn’t be recorded during that time.

Last week, he was remanded to a seven-day ED custody which ends on Thursday.

He is the second minister of the Shiv Sena-led coalition government to go behind bars after Anil Deshmukh.

Malik funded the terror network of Dawood through the latter’s sister Haseena Parkar and thus the said acquisition falls under the definition of proceeds of crime, ED said in its remand application.

Malik was named as the key conspirator and “beneficiary of the entire charade” in the remand application.

The ED is probing a Kurla property deal of Malik where a Rs 55 lakh payment was made to Haseena Parkar, sister of Dawood Ibrahim, for a three-acre land in Kurla in the period 1999-2003.

Of this Rs 55 lakh, around Rs 5 lakh was paid through cheque and the balance amount in cash, the ED said.

It said the Kurla land belonged to one Munira Plumber and was acquired by Haseena Parkar through a forged power of attorney which gave the rights to sell the land to Parkar’s driver and bodyguard Salim Patel.

ED alleged that the present market value of the property usurped by Nawab Malik through Solidus Investments Pvt Ltd, a company owned by Malik’s family members, is Rs 300 crore.

Haseena Parkar died of a heart attack in 2014.